The moment Tenille Favios wandered into Bachelor In Paradise Australia, it looked all but over for lovebirds Jules Bourne and Alisha Aitken-Radburn.
Now, after Tenille shut him down, Jules has been on a mission to reignite the spark he once shared with Alisha.
However, it could all be for nothing, as Jules confesses to TV WEEK he fears their relationship may never recover.
“I feel at this point, the way I’ve acted, she deserves someone who will wholeheartedly embrace her every second of her life,” Jules, 24, admits. “I just feel I can’t give that to her. I don’t deserve Alisha.”
Jules says he “doesn’t deserve” his partner Alisha (Image: Network 10).
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Jules says he now feels “extra pressure” in the lead-up to the final commitment ceremony, after Alisha gave him a second chance following his admission that he had feelings for Tenille.
“I just needed a day off to be alone, to sort my head out – to recalibrate my brain and to figure it out,” he explains. “I didn’t get caught up in Paradise drama – I got caught up in my own head. That was my downfall.”
In fact, Jules says he’s questioning the authenticity of his feelings for Alisha altogether now.
“I was trying to not get caught up in the magic of Paradise,” he admits. “I wanted to make sure what I was feeling was completely real and not fake or put on. I think that’s why I struggled.”
Jules has admitted to having feelings for Tenille (Image: Network 10).
If it doesn’t work out, Jules says he’s hopeful he and Alisha can continue to be friends.
“I really do believe that we’re intelligent enough to remove the magic of Paradise and go, ‘Regardless of all that crazy Paradise [drama], what happened to us was truly incredible. Let’s carry this on into the real world.'”
As for his friendship with Ivan Krslovic, who was also hurt when Jules made a play for Tenille, that’s still a work in progress, Jules reveals.
“It got to the point that, as a man, I was ashamed to look him in the eye,” he says. “It was really difficult.”
The Bachelor In Paradise Australia finale airs Thursday, 8:30pm, followed by the first-ever Bachelor In Paradise Australia: Tell-All at 10pm, on Network 10.
